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THOMAS (1. BALL, OF KEENE, NE\V 'HA'MPSHIRE, ASSIGNORiTO HIMSELF, Lf-BISCO, A. S. DAVISfK. GROSSFIELD,'ED\V. EDYVAHDS, AND JACOB GREEN, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

RAILROADCAR HEEL.

SpecificatiomofLetters PatentNo. 223049,"datedNQVemberQ, 1858.

T 0 allruihom 'ttmq'y concern:

Be it known that I,lTHo As'C. BALL, .of Keene, in the countyof Cheshire and State of New Hampshire, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Wheels; and I do hereby declare thatthefollowing is a full, clear, and exact-descriptionthereof, reference being'hadto the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

Thenature of my invention consistsin a mode of constructing a car-wheel in two principal parts, one of which is secured to the axle and formsthe center or body of the wheel. The other is' a rim, which constitutes the outer-part or tread of the wheel. This encirclesjthe center part, a small space being left between them forming a thin annular chamber which is packed with india-rubber or other elastic material.

The wheels of cars in rapid motion occasion severe concussions by coming in contact with inequalities of the track, especially at the ends or oints of the rails, producing injurious effects, by straining and breaking the axles and other parts of the running gear of the cars, also battering and abrading the rails. The elastic packing which is interposed between the center and tread of this wheel, allows a slight yielding of its parts, and operates to check the severity of the concussions or shocks, received by either part of the wheel by preventing their continuation from one part to the other, thereby diminishing the consequent injurious effects on both the rails and the cars. Also there has always existed difficulties in casting perfect wheels with chilled rims, on account of the different shrinkage of the various parts in cooling, causing some places to become strained or weakened, and oftentimes to break, sometimes causing disastrous accidents. This evil is entirely obviated by my mode of construction, as the chilled rim is cast separately from the body of the wheel, and the form of eachpart is such that they may be cooled evenly and without the liability of becoming strained. Another useful object accomplished by this mode of construction is that, when the tread is worn out it can easily be removed and replaced by a new one, thus making a saving of a large share of the expense involved in exchanging an entire wheel as ordinarily constructed.

Having thus explained the nature and object of my .invention "I will proceed to describe the mode of construction.

Figure 1, of'the drawings, represents a side view, and Fig. $2, a crosssection of the wheels. Fig.3, is aportion of-thechamber between the body and rim of the wheel,

which contains'the elastic packing. Fig. 4,

shows the form of theplate or web of the outer rim, between thetread and the annular chamber.

A, is the center part, orbody. It is made ina form,'to possess great strength and produce uniformity in cooling, by having a plate or web (of about equal thickness in all its parts,) which is strengthened by the slightly curved ribs a, a, a, a,-which extend from thehubto the edgeon each side. Its peripbery'forms a part of the chamber for the elastic packing, and a flanch on one side, serves to protect one edge of the packing, and to assist in keeping the outer rim of the wheel in its place.

B, is the outer part, or'rim of the wheel. Its outer edge or periphery forms the tread of the wheel. It is provided with a flanch and is chilled in the usual manner. Its in terior surface is made to correspond with the periphery of A, leaving a sufiicient space between them for the elastic packing. A narrow rim or fianch M extends inward from one side, and confines the edge of the packing on the opposite side from the fianch on A. The metal forming the interior rim of B, and that of the tread is connected by a zigzag or serpentine plate or web, as shown by Fig. 4. This form gives great strength to the rim B, affording support almost the entire width of the tread; it also affords a disposition of the metal very favorable to uniformity in cooling, as it requires so much less thickness of metal in the web and inner rim, than it does in the tread or part which is chilled, that both may be cooled in about the sametime, and cause no material difference of shrinkage.

In packing a wheel I use fibrous indiarubber packing or other suitable material of a similar nature, taking a strip of the proper dimensions to fill the space intended to contain it. I wind it against one of the surfaces (of A, or B,) making a part of the annular chamber, where it is intended to remain. Next to this is placed a strip of sheet metal for the surface of the other part to slide against while they are being pressed. together. This protects the elastic substance used for the packing, and prevents it from wrinking. The center part is then introduced into the rim, along with the elastic packing and its sheet metal protector. The periphery of A, and interior surface of B, which are next the packing are made sufficiently beveling, or conical, to facilitate the insertion of one part within the other, and cause sufiioient compression of the packing, (When they are driven together) so that it will sustain a proper amount of weight, and prevent undue looseness between the parts of the wheel. The elastic substance is represented by the red in the drawings, marked, C, and the sheet metal protector by the black, marked D.

The parts A, and B, are secured together by means of bolts E, E, E, E, a proper nu1nber of which may be used. They are arranged so as to vibrate sufliciently to compensate for the yielding of the elastic packing, allowing a slight diametrical motion of the parts of the wheel, but prevents the rotation of one part independent of the other, should there be any tendency so to do. One

end of each bolt catches on the inner rim of part, B, and passing through notches in its flanch, and in the periphery of A, terminates outside the flanch on A, being provided with two screw-nuts which are turned closely together to prevent their becoming loose and jarring off by the working of the bolts.

I do not claim as my invention to make a car wheel in two parts, neither do I claim interposing rubber or other elastic material between the two parts, for any of the purposes herebefore described, but

I do claim (for a car wheel, with an insertion of rubber or other elastic substances between the two parts)- 1. The making of the rim or tire and its flanch M, in one piece for the purpose of strengthening each other.

I claim the mode of confining the two parts A and B, together, by means of the hook, or pivot bolts substantially as described or their equivelents, to prevent the wear and chafing of any stationary confinement also to be at libery to make each bolt do its share of labor assigned, for castings are most invariably too uneven to get any equality of confinement in other modes.

I THOS. C. BALL.

IV i tnesses G. F. STARKWEATHER, JOHN HUMPHREY. 

